Mussy-sur-Seine, village full of History!

A timeless visit.

This day, 30 June when the sun is playing hide-and-seek among the clouds, Sarah from Mussy-Sur-Seine Office of Tourismgives us a warm welcome.

I tried a visit to Mussy-sur-Seine, the last Aube village before the Côte d’Or on the Dijon road, fifty km from Troyes in the south of the Department of Aube.

Mussy essentials: its collegiate church dating from 1295 and its ramparts

I was surprised by this impressive building, built during the 14th century in this village in the heart of the Aube vineyard. In 1215, Mussy-Sur-Seine was chosen as the place in which to build this collegiate church, the summer residence of the Bishops of Langres, for its climate, its vineyards (increased from 50 ha to 600 ha today) and its geographical location. Management of the collegiate church was entrusted to the canons.

Exploring the ramparts surrounding the village, with their sixteen towers each strategically spaced 70 metres apart (a good archer could aim up to 35 metres) gives you an idea of the level of protection the village enjoyed during this period of history. I understood why such protection was needed when I realized that the village housed the salt barn containing the salt tax for the 50 parishes scattered throughout the territory. A few metres further on, in place of the former hospital, I discovered an impressive collection of no less than 1500 alarm clocks collected by a clock enthusiastall under the protective eye of the motto of the Kings of France: “One God, one faith, one law, everyone must have within themselves”

The Museum of the Resistance, unique in Champagne!

Who would have thought that the only Museum of the Resistance to deal with the resistance fighters in Champagne is in Mussy-sur-Seine? On entering this museum, I was surprised by the authenticity of the documents exhibited.

The resistance in Mussy-sur-Seine is above all the story of Emile Alagiraude, a veteran soldier, a prisoner and bearer of serious injuries from the first war (he was gassed), who was then captured during the Second World War and released in 1941. A few months after his return, he took on leadership of the so-called “J Day” resistance group (ready to act on day J) of more than a thousand men. At the end of 1943, the introduction of Compulsory Work, sending young people to work in Germany, swelled his numbers.

Sitting like children in the front row of the class, we listened attentively to Guy Prunier, who told this story and a whole lot more with such passion …

He’ll answer all your questions: How did the resistance fighters feed themselves? Were they in contact with other groups of resistance fighters or with the government? …

Currently cramped, we impatiently await its renovation and expansion, scheduled for the near future.

Finally, what would Mussy-sur-Seine be without its famous, creamy Mussy cheese and its hectares of vines supplying the many Champagne Houses in Aube.